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AL DIVISION SERIES: RANGERS VS BLUE JAYS

October 13, 2015

Mike Maddux

Toronto, Ontario - Workout Day

Q. Why do you think Cole Hamels has been so good in big games through his career, what is it about him?
MIKE MADDUX: I think Cole happened at a young age when he came up in '08, and he was thrust right into it and had a very veteran team around him, kind of learned from them. And he took the bull by the horns in that series and led them to the championship, won the MVP. So he was well-decorated at a young age, at a youthful time in his career and I just think that's always carried on. He's definitely a guy who went out there in big moments, he wants to be out there. I think that's what separates him from a lot of people, is that he's been there, done that, and he knows what it takes to be successful, he knows what the finish line smells like, what it tastes like.

Q. I guess to that end, he was out there throwing when we came down here and have you seen any difference in him today and did you see any difference in him in Game 162?
MIKE MADDUX: I think the only difference I've seen in Cole was probably his first couple games with us where he was really trying to justify everything. Then after he settled in, kind of got used to a new uniform, boy, he's kind of been very good for us. Needless to say, record speaks for itself since the first couple games. I just think he's more comfortable in wearing the Ranger gear than he was 12 starts ago or whatever it was. But I see no difference in him, playing catch with him today as we did yesterday, the day before that, the bullpen before that. He had been, you know, pretty steadfast in what he does. Great worker, routine guy, doesn't skip a beat, doesn't miss a day. I think that's why he is successful, because he is so routine-oriented.

Q. You talk about his experiences and such. We've seen a couple times where he gives up a run or two early and you kind of wonder what's going on but he seems to be able to settle himself. Just talk about the way he handles himself and adjusts and is able to get through long innings sometimes when you don't think he's going to make it very long?
MIKE MADDUX: I think that's experience. I always tell the boys a golf story, and it's about a guy that was on tour and kind of a younger dog and he had the lead going into the final round and he started off bogey-bogey, and of course the commentators, everybody in the truck was, wow, this guy's leaking oil, he's not going to do it. He went on to win the tournament. And when they talked to him afterwards about that, he said in the course of 18 holes, I'm going to make two bogeys. It was almost putting me at ease that I knew that they weren't in front of me anymore, that I was able to march forward. I think that's what Cole does. Nobody's had a zero ERA, so when we give up a run, we don't panic. Nobody has zero. Guys get paid a lot of money to swing a bat and I think Cole understands that, he gets that. Hey, those guys are pretty good, too. So let's save some runs, let's go out there and save runs now.

Q. Given how routine oriented he is, as you discussed, and obviously he established that routine well before he got here, is your role any different with him in pregame talks?
MIKE MADDUX: It's different now than it was when we first got him. You have to get to know people, you've got to develop that bond, that trust, see what they want and how much information a person wants. Some people want more than others, some people want less than others. So it's really get to know the person and once you get to know the person, you can kind of meet face-to-face and feed off one another. Some guys are overwhelmed with information, some guys want -- more is better, and Cole's one of those guys that we kind of figured out what he wants, he knows what he needs. He does a lot of stuff on his own. He's very, very motivated. He's very easy. I can tell you during that game yesterday, he was playing tomorrow's game and that's kind of the way he works.

Q. Did you know him much before he got here and what have you learned about him as a pitcher and as a dude since he's showed up?
MIKE MADDUX: I did not know Cole at all. I had seen him across the way. I always loved the way he competed. Since I've come to know him, he's very well-grounded, very humble, very motivated. That's probably the one that stands out is how motivated he is. He's not complacent to be good, he wants better than that.

Q. How does that show itself?
MIKE MADDUX: I think Game 162 is indicative of that. I think Game 2 that he pitched in Toronto was indicative of that. When it got a little hairy out there, boy, he turned it up a notch and he got better as that game went along. I think that's the kind of guy he is. He's going to stand up and bite you, no doubt about it. He's going to keep coming at you, not going to back down.

Q. (No microphone.)
MIKE MADDUX: Equally motivated, work ethic. You've got to keep in mind that Cliff mentored Cole, so a lot of the preparation's extremely similar. Their repertoires are similar. Cliff was more of a command guy, he had better command. Cliff had exceptional command. Cole has a bit more stuff, but they're two peas in a pod, especially with the mentorship that Cliff has given Cole. That's one thing, but as we get to know one another, he paraphrases Cliff oftenly. Is that a word, oftenly?

Q. You were with this team in 2010 when they were in a similar situation, won two games on the road, lost two, had to go back. What do you sense different or the same about how the squad is handling itself as compared to how that team did?
MIKE MADDUX: I think in 2010 we were very let down in Games 3 and 4. Because Games 1 and 2 were so high, we did have some letdown in Games 3 and 4. I think our guys, because they've lived it and experience is on our side now, there's no panic. I remember going back into Tampa in 2010, we felt pretty good because we had the right guy with the ball and I think we've got the same thing working right now. As Yogi would say, deja vu all over again, I hope so.

MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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